The 94th Academy Awards announced the nominations for the 2022 ceremony and surprised viewers that some critically-acclaimed 2021 movies didn't receive any nominations. Yet, there were other surprises such as actors who were nominated for the first time in their careers for an Academy Award.
These 2022 Oscars nominated actors are receiving recognition for their ability to portray realistically, and in some cases, relatable characters. However, these actors did not always land award-winning roles, at one point, they were nominated for their Worst roles. The Razzies, or the Golden Raspberries, list the "worst" in each given year's films in various categories. Each actor is presented in a side-by-side panel with their Oscar and Razzie nominations.
Kenneth Branagh
Known for his work in front and behind the camera, Kenneth Branagh directed, acted, and produced countless films. He directed the film Belfast (2021) that was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Motion Picture, and Best Achievement in Directing. Belfast followed a working-class family and their challenges living in Northern Ireland in the 1960s. With the nominations for Belfast, Branagh earned eight total Academy Award nominations for his acting, directing, and written work.
Among Branagh's impressive list of successes, he was also nominated for a Razzie award. In the 20th Razzie Awards ceremony, he was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor in the movie Wild Wild West (1999). In Wild Wild West, the antagonist Dr. Arliss Loveless (Branagh) plotted to kill President Ulysses Grant (Kevin Kline).
Jesse Plemons
Jesse Plemons obtained his first Oscar nomination for his role as George Burbank in The Power of The Dog (2021). In The Power of the Dog, ranchers in Montana admired Phil Burbank, while others viewed him as a rude guest. Phil's brother, George, often tried to fix Phil's actions. He previously earned Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role as Robert Daly in Black Mirror. While in 2016, he earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role as Edward 'Ed' Blumquist in Fargo (2014).
Plemons didn't receive a Razzie nomination for his individual role in the movie Battleship (2012). The entire cast of the movie received a nomination for Worst Screen Ensemble. Battleship focused on a battle between humans and aliens at sea. Plemon's character Jimmy 'Ordy' Ord followed orders when it came to steering the ship and deploying any missiles.
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain portrayed a persistent CIA Analyst in Zero Dark Thirty (2012), a hopeful caring wife of a zookeeper in The Zookeeper's Wife (2017), and ran an illegal poker game in Molly's Game (2017). In the most recent film, The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021), Chastain starred as the religiously devoted Tammy Faye. Her role as the televangelist, secured her an Academy Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
She was previously nominated for her leading role in Zero Dark Thirty and her supporting role in The Help (2011). Chastain celebrated her win at the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards) for her Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in the movie The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Yet, before among her award-winning performances, she happened to be nominated for Worst Supporting Actress in the 2019 film X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman's first Oscar nomination was for her leading role in the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge! Kidman portrayed Satine, a singer that performed at the Moulin Rouge. Kidman's other Academy Award nominations include Best Actress in a Leading Role in The Hours (2002), and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Lion (2016) among others. Her most recent nomination was for the leading role in Being the Ricardos (2021).
Ironically both her 2022 Oscar nomination and her 2006 Razzie nomination, Bewitched, were movies where the main protagonist was cast as an actress to play on a TV show. The difference between Being the Ricardos and Bewitched (2005) was that Being the Ricardos focused on the real-life of actress Lucille Ball, star of the TV series I Love Lucy. Bewitched followed a fictional plot where the witch Isabel Bigelow was cast to play Samantha in the TV show Bewitched. Kidman won a Razzie for Worst Screen Couple with Will Ferrell in Bewitched and was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress in Just Go With It (2011).
Javier Bardem
Sharing the screen with Kidman in Being the Ricardos was actor Javier Bardem. Bardem was recognized for his stunning portrayals of villains such as the sociopath, Anton Chigurh, in No Country for Old Men (2007) or the rogue agent, Silva, in Skyfall (2012) among others. Bardem was nominated for three Oscars, his fourth was for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in the movie Being the Ricardos. His character, Desi Arnaz, was Lucille Ball's husband.
Bardem's villainous characters were nominated for Razzies in 2008. He was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), where Captain Salazar (Bardem) wanted revenge for his death. In the same year, Bardem was also nominated for Worst Supporting Actor in the psychological thriller Mother! (2017). Bardem's character went by 'Him,' and he was the husband of the 'Mother' (Jennifer Lawrence).
Will Smith
In Will Smith's extensive acting and producing history, he was only nominated three times for an Academy Award. In 2002, he was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role as Cassius Clay, better known as Muhammad Ali in the biopic Ali. In the film The Pursuit of Happiness (2006), he was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role as Chris Gardner, a single father struggling financially. Now after 15 years, Smith was nominated for his role as Richard Williams, in King Richard (2021), a film based on real events.
Smith portrayed Williams as a powerhouse and a prominent figure in Serena Williams (Demi Singleton) and Venus Williams's (Saniyya Sidney) lives. Williams recognized the magnitude of their potential to succeed as tennis athletes. Before Smith starred in biography films, in 2014, he won a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor in the film and Worst Screen Combo with his son Jaden Smith in After Earth (2013).
Penélope Cruz
In Broken Embraces (2009), Penélope Cruz was Lena, an actress looking to make her big debut, and in Pain and Glory (2019), Cruz was Jacinta, the younger version of Salvador Mallo's mother. Cruz and Director Pedro Almodóvar collaborated on multiple films, and in the newest film, Parallel Mothers (2021), Cruz was nominated for Best Actress for her role as Janis. a pregnant mother who befriended Ana while in the hospital.
Parallel Mothers was her fourth Oscar nomination so far. Her previous nominations included Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in the film Nine (2009) and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). She was also nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in Volver (2006). However, Cruz was nominated for a Razzie in 2002 for Worst Actress in the movie Blow (2001), Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), and Vanilla Sky (2001).
Kristen Stewart
In the movie Spencer (2021), Kristen Stewart portrayed Princess Diana Spencer. She stepped into the shoes of a historical figure that was previously played by several actresses such as Emma Corrin in the Netflix TV series The Crown, and Serena Scott Thomas in the 1993 film Diana: Her True Story. Stewart's rendition of Princess Diana showed a princess that was required to shield her true emotions from the public. Stewart's first Oscar nomination was for Best Actress in Spencer.
Stewart's most recognizable role, before the movie Spencer, was Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. The Twilight Saga movies garnered her Razzie nominations for Worst Actress in The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011). She won a 2013 Razzie award for Worst Actress in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012) and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).